Ore-reducing apparatus and process.



3. M. LONGYEAR & J. T. JONES.

ORE mums APPARATUS Nameless. VAPPLICATWH FILED FEB- 23.1915 RENEWEP NOV.2.1913. v m .c Lwga gsgao v ?ateme m0. ifial v wimsamar J. M. LONGYEAR &J. T. iONES.

ORE REDUClNG APPARATUS AND PROEESS.

APPLICATION FILED FFB. 23.19i5. RENEWED NOV. 2. I918.

1,289,835 Patented 1m. 81,1918.

, 5 SHEEIS-SHEEI 2.

3. M. LONBYEAR & J. T: JONES.

ORE REDUC-i rwmcmmw mm ms. 23. m5. RENEWED NOV. 2. 191a.

(-16 APPARATUS ANDP-ROCESS.

Patentefi Dec. $1918 5 SKEETS-SHEEI 3.

("x L LONGT'EAR 8; J. T. JONES.

URE REDUCING APPARATUS AND PROCESS.

APPucAnow man FEB. 23 (915. RENEWED NOV.

-fiivezzra v v kJE/ IWM. J0

L M. LONGYEAR & J. T. JONES.

ORE REDUCING APPARATUS AND PROCESS.

APPLICATION mgu FEB. 23. 19\5. RENEWED NOV. 2. I918. ifl fi fiw PatentedDec. 51,1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

. V wk:

Ymceas,

lien.

25 tional we structed l of l thg burde pm to ahmen- 83 30 line ployed,21 m? z:

(rimmion a abstract of mater] ales.

or soakm chamber 11 9' info want '0 e01, evels and ch ney or slides ment 2 fey supportinguuembers or slidesB. Because of the nature of theburdenwhich will be used in the furnace, the slides B may be sep; aratedby spaces l, which will permit upward passage of the gases withoutpreventing the slides from serving toetiectually support theburden-sections. As appears form Fig. 2, the slides 15 may be separatedalso in the direction of the horizontal length of the furnace by spaces5, thus supple. menting the space available for the upward passage ofthe gases at the contracted points ofthe furnace. If desired, bypassesor flues 8 may also b'e'provided in the furnace walls at the enlargedportions thereof to "enable gases to pass around the slides orburden-supports B.

As will be understood from Figs. 4 and 6. the twyers C, which arepreferably adjustable through the walls of the furnace, are water-cooledby water supplied through pipes 7. Water supplied through pipes 8. Theslides are shown provided with which connect with pistons contained incylinders 10. .i

The means E forcharging a mixture of distilled solid fuel and ore intothe upper part of the furnace= may be any means. As shown, the means comprises hoppers 11. which discharge their contents through chutes 12 intothe chamber A. The hoppers 1]. are shown providmlhvith closures 13. Thedevices it? may be regarded as a conventional illustration of anysuitable means for eliectirm' the purpose.

Thedevices F for charging fresh solid fuel directly ,lnto the(lo-oxidizing chamber A may comprise any suitable means. in the formillustrated (Fig. 3) a chute 1i cX- tends through the wall of thefurnace and is supplied from a hopper 1.5 equipped with a closure ,16. Aplunger 17 works in the chute 14, being actuated by a rod 18 connectedwith a piston confined in a cylinder 19. The furnace shown provided witha series of platforn'is 20 arranged at. convenient levels to ena le theoperation of the lurnacc lo hr carried on.

ASSUIHlIiQ the furnace to be in operation. the furnace contains a seriesof superposed burdensections which are independentl supported by thesloping walls 2 and the supplemental lJllItlLll-t-Ill])})0l'lS or valvesl). which are adapted lo be withdrawn. from time to time. to permit theslack ol' lnalcrials to settle down as materials are withdrawn from thebase oi the slack. in the normal operation of solid fuel (coke orcharcoal) containing a relatively small amount ol olc practicallyisolated therein. is introduced through the hoppers l). to keep the topot' the burden at or near the level of the lower ends ol the chutes 12.The ore, if hard, is prefm'ably charcoal The slides l3 may at o becooled by actuating rods lv desired the furnace. distilled As anillustration, in dealing with a highgrade iron-ore, the materials may beused in the proportions of 400 pounds of coke, 100 pounds of bituminouscoal. and 250 pounds of era, the fuel having approximately twice theweight of the ore, and being approximately live times as large in volumeas the ore.- If wood and charcoal are of coal and coke. the disparity involume is much greater. For illustration, with 22%) pounds of ore, onemay use 96 cubic feet of and cubic feet of wood. The proportions may bevaried to gain the best and most economical results. In any case, it ispreferred to use the "fuel mainly in COlllparativelylarge lump or blockiornn although this is notindispensable. As will he explained, the coke(or charcoal) is used over and over again. being gradually re duced insize, but being constantly rcpleir ished by freshly formed coke (orcharcoal) when the process is carried on in the preferred manner. Thus.a relatively small amount of fresh solid fuel adapted to sup plyhydrogen and hydro-carbons is introduced directly into the lie-oxidizingcha1nber A thus furnishing gases which are of great value in reducingthe metal oxide, and at the same time serving to replenish the stack ofdistilled solid fuel.

Air is introduced and burned within the and in such manner as togradually decrease the temperatures as the upper furnace is approached.The temperature in the lower ])()lll0i) of the (lo-oxidizing chamber Ashould be in excess of 2000 l". for iron, and 3000" l. is ordinarilyample for any ore. Much depends upon the character of the ore. however:and with lean ores containing some natural llux. too high a temperatureis preferably avoided. The operalion is preferably so balanced that atel..- pcralurc scale will nacc somewhat as indicated on Fig. 1. it isto be obscrvedtha-l carbon dioxid will be formed in the vicinity ol' lhclower twvcn and a zone of intense-heat will be established there. Thegases change to carbon monoxid as they rise in the chamber A and come incontact with the highly heated carbon. The carbon nionoxid. in turn.l'()l)i the ore of its oxv'grcn. A general (lo-oxidizing medium ismaintained at high temperature in the chamber gi however; and a rapidinterend of the used in place be produced in the fur- L .the unconsuniedsolid fuel change of oxygen occurs, the completion the metullizingoperation and fixing of the metals being performed mainly in the chamherA. As the materials settle down in tho soaking-chamber A, Where's(:leOKldlZlllg medium is also maintained, arr" metal oxide which can bereachedoy the gases before the temperature drops too low will beconverted to metal. Finally, the terials will be cooled in the lowerportion of the chamber A and may be discharged through doors "23. into aWater-bath 22. Any suitable provision for removing the unconsumed el,gangue and metals in solid fo m, substituted for the means sho Areas ofintensified heat be established at the inner ends of the twyers which.supply the pro-heating ehamhers, but the heat in said zones will be ofsuccessively reduced intensitmnnd the solid fuel wi attached less andless as ti (2 upper end of the furnace is approached.

"When the furnace is properly balanced in its operation, by controllingthe air-supplies introduced at, the several levels, the result will lieburn the combustible gases in. the upper portion of the furnace inintimate Contact W' h the freshly introduced distilled solid fuel andore, thereby pro-heating the ore, without substantially attaching thesol; fuel in the upper portion of the furnace- Finall the gases.after-complete combustion, will pass upwardly through the chimney of thethe nace.

The present invention constitutes a. lllOtllfieation .of the inventiondescribed and. claimed in our application l lo. 988$) filed of even datehorewitl. In the practice of the process,'n10re orless nietalliziogoccurs during the passage of the ore and tuel through the preheatingchambers, especially through the chamber A, where quite a hightemperature is maintained; but as stated, the man metallizing operationoccurs in the chamber A Where sucli a high temperature is maintained asto enable a most rapid interchange of oxygen to occur. and theagglomerating and fixingof the metals occurs in the vicinity of theinner ends of the lowretno'tal of ganguo and metals in solid form fromthe lower end of the stack separation may be ellected in any desiredmanner; and the unconsunit-d fuel may be recharged, mixed with ore, intothe upper portion of the furnace ermost series of tvyers.

stack, the valves B are withdrawn or opened, from time to time, topermit the burden-sections to settle down to lower levels. and i'huseach portion of the burden passes through, first, a distinctpre-heatingoperation, and then a gradual tie-oxidising action upon the orcs as theportion of the burden approaches the high temperature which is mostsuitable level adapter to support,

its the niaterials are removed from the bottom of the ouehl led andsoineu'l charred (luring the vote, n o-cerbons ii) I at a level f e o noe utilized most effectively. in some cases, it may e desirable to teedallor u large pot l ucl in at lower itll that he ore is fed. Much willnope l noon the haracter of the and the SOlKt fuel used. in any event,ill be neces ary to maintain sutlicient in- ,l.l, for the air and gasesgls "linden; and it will be new sery to maintain it its? prepomjleranceof solid "fuel in t lower, hotter some so ing detailed description hasbeen given for clearness understanding l citation should s' but theappended broadly as ier: of the prior art. lt is ouriutention to :lann'ell oi? our in ion may in View or". the prior hat W! rose as new'zinddesire to semire by l rteut is it An ore-i l icing furnace comprising aplurality or sup posed chambers adapted to contain burdc sections insinner-posed rela tion. movable bizrdeu-supporting devices burden insections, actuating means thercror, and means for introducing limitedair-supply into the bus den under such conditionsas to produce edeoxidizing atmosphere.

Au orc-reoucing furnace comprising it plurality of superposed chambersadapted. to contain the burden in sections, movable burden-snout icesanged at a plurality of levels 7 or into the furnace, actuating; means(i devices,

and twyers arranged at plurality o levels and adopted to i irodncelinute air-sup plies into the biirdcmsections und such conditions as toproduce oeoxidieing at niosphere.

o. i s oie-ieoucn plrel-1m" c furnace comprising a d chambers withcontracted o junction-planes, movable ion-support devices associatedwith the contracted passages, actuating fsaid devices, and means forintroducing air into the burden-sections at e plurality of levels.

ien ore reducing furnace comprising in at u higher he (ltlVtll oil memesbottom of the stack; dropping the burdenseetions periodically toslieotessii'el) lower planes; and r'har; 'in;, a replenishiin; mixtureof solid fuel and ore into the upper portion of the furnace.

13. The hathless process of recoveringconditions to produce a l1lglhlllililtll'tllllll'e de oxidizing medium and a metal-fixing zone;

passing the deoxidizing gas upwardly through the ripper hurden-soetions;supplying air in limited quantities to the upper hurdeirsections, soregulated as to burn the combustible gases in the upper portion of theburden Without substantially attacking the solid fuel; removing theunconsumed solid fuel, gangue, and metals in solid form from the 1mmportion of the stack; periodically dropping the upper h||Men-sections tolower le els to cause them to progressively pass through thehigh-temperature de-oxidizing medium and metal-fixing zone; andsupplying a replenishing mixture of solid 'fuel and ,ore-portion scontained therein to the upper endof the Stack of n'iaterials un-'(lei-going treatment.

v JOHN M. LONGYEAR.

JOHN T. JONES. In the presence of' ALBERT G. Jones,

E. W. Jones.

